The World Cup winner told So Foot: “What makes the difference today in football? It's talent. And what is talent? It is the possibility of controlling what you do and what others do, because you play with your head and not only with your feet.

“I love Usain Bolt, he's a great athlete. Physically, nobody comes close. Who runs faster than him? No one. But with all due respect to him, he will never make any difference on a football pitch.”

Pressed further on why Bolt would be wrong for football, Xavi added: “Because we cannot supplant mental speed and game intelligence with physical abilities. It's impossible.”

Bolt’s opportunity may well have passed him by, with a lack of experience set to work against him.

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The likes of Xavi have dedicated their lives to perfecting the art of football, with an all-time great midfielder revealing that he has never stopped learning on the training field.

He said: “l, personally, always had the will, I would even say the curiosity, to understand what is happening on the pitch. Why? How? Where? These are questions I would constantly ask myself and will continue to do when I become a coach.

“We do not all have the same thoughts. There are professional players who do not understand what is happening on the pitch. Simply because they weren't trained to develop their talent, to think about what's happening with them.”